Cannot include "[" or "]" in filename path???

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When I try to save an Excel spreadsheet to My
Document/[Activities]/2008-05-05 I recieve an error that some characters are
not allowed. [ and ] are both valid characters for a file name.

What can I do to get Excel to accept these characters at the SaveAs dialog
box?
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Re: Cannot include "[" or "]" in filename path??? by Dave

Dave
Mon May 05 16:27:53 CDT 2008

They may be valid from a windows standpoint, but excel uses them for something
special.

If you have a link to another workbook, you'll see those square brackets in the
formula.

=[book1.xls]Sheet1!$A$1
(with book1.xls open)

or

='C:\My Documents\excel\[book1.xls]Sheet1'!$A$1
(with book1.xls closed)

Your life will be much easier if you learn to live with Excel's limitations
<vbg>.


Calab wrote:
>
> When I try to save an Excel spreadsheet to My
> Document/[Activities]/2008-05-05 I recieve an error that some characters are
> not allowed. [ and ] are both valid characters for a file name.
>
> What can I do to get Excel to accept these characters at the SaveAs dialog
> box?

--

Dave Peterson
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Re: Cannot include "[" or "]" in filename path??? by Calab

Calab
Mon May 05 17:34:44 CDT 2008


"Dave Peterson" <petersod@verizonXSPAM.net> wrote in message
news:481F7BD9.B13B9AB7@verizonXSPAM.net...
> They may be valid from a windows standpoint, but excel uses them for
> something
> special.
>
> If you have a link to another workbook, you'll see those square brackets
> in the
> formula.
>
> =[book1.xls]Sheet1!$A$1
> (with book1.xls open)

> Your life will be much easier if you learn to live with Excel's
> limitations
> <vbg>.

...or if I just find a decent spreadsheet software.


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Re: Cannot include "[" or "]" in filename path??? by Harlan

Harlan
Mon May 05 22:16:13 CDT 2008

"Calab" <dont.s...@me.here> wrote...
>"Dave Peterson" <peter...@verizonXSPAM.net> wrote in message
...
>>Your life will be much easier if you learn to live with Excel's
>>limitations
>
>...or if I just find a decent spreadsheet software.

Other spreadsheets have different restrictions, but FWIW OpenOffice
doesn't use square brackets to enclose filenames in external
references. Lotus 123 used (well, uses - still sold but not marketed)
angle brackets <<filename>>, which was a much better decision for DOS/
Windows than Microsoft's own choice.

Anyway, while you can't SAVE NEW files using pathnames that contain
square brackets, you can OPEN and SAVE/OVERWRITE workbooks with square
brackets in their pathnames, but it is a huge PITA.

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